Device for handling rope and the like.



J. S. SOUREK DEVICE FOR HANDLING ROPE AND THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED we. 2, 1911.

1,038,013, 1 Patented Spt. 10,1912.

I awwz UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH s. SOUREK, or BATH TOWNSHIP, SUMMIT COUNTY, 01110.

DEVICE FOR HANDLING ROPE AND'THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 10, 1912.

Application filed August 2, 1911. Serial No. 641,956.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosnPH S. SOUREK, a citizen of the United States, residing at .Bath township, in the county of-Summit and State of Ohio, have invented new and ,useful Improvements in Devices for Handling Rope and the Like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in .devices for handling or pulling a rope or other similar flexible member and adapted to be used in those places where the use of a ,devlce such as a winch or Windlass is not available such as inconvenience of locationv or for any other reason.

The object of the'invention is to produce when stalled in the mud or sand of the road way, etc.

My invention aims to provide a suitable device for such purposes which will be comparatively, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to operate and capable of exerting great force in pulling a rope or similar fiexible member, and which will be provided with means for gripping the rope or flexible member that the gripping-members of the device exert great clamping qualities when engaging the member.

A further object is to provide one of the gripping-jaws where it engages the rope in its taut condition with a roller or sheave so .that as the jaw is moved in unison with the device during its inoperative stroke and along the taut portion of the flexible member it will produce no wear thereon, the flexible member running on the periphery of the roller whereby all fraying and Wear on the flexible member is eliminated.

With the foregoing and other objects in 7 view, the invention consists in the novel conwhich come within the scope of the claims hereunto appended. In the drawings in which similar references indicate like parts in the different figures, Figure l, is a view in side elevation of a device embodying this invention; Fig. 2, is a view in front elevation looking from the left in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3, is a vertical sectional view on line Xof Fig. 2.

Before entering upon a detailed description of this invention, it will be stated that III the specification and claims the words flexible member will be used generically to designate any type of similar device'such as a chain, hawser, cable, wire or wire-rope, in order tosave unnecessary repetition. The device is adapted to be fulcrumed upon some convenient object, by having its lower end secured thereto, and in the drawings a suitable fulcrum is indicated by the standard 1, which standardmay itself be mounted upon anything movable or immovable, and it will be entirely within the scope of this invention to mount the lower or fulcrum end of this device upon a frame of any desired configuration. The device embodies a gripping-member anda gripping-lever adapted to cooperate to grip or engage the flexible member so that when the gripping-lever is moved it produces a pull on the rope, and is, by preference, one which automatically grips the rope when moved in one direction but releases it when moved in the opposite direction.

The gripping-member preferably includes a pair of upright spaced plates 2, provided at their lower ends withv alined apertures through which extends a pin 3 whereby the gripping-member is pivotally connected with the fulcrum 1. Slightly above the center of the plates are alined openings in which is mounted a pin 4 to constitute an axle for a rotatable roller or sheave 5, preferably having a concave. periphery. Spaced from the openings which hold the pin 4 and slightly below them are alined openings to receive the ends of a pin 6 having an enlarged and preferably irrevoluble median portion 7 The members 5 and 7 preferably extend between the plates 2, the space between the latter being slightly decreased at a point 8 below them. The faces of the roller 5 and pin 7 are arranged to constitute the gripping-face of the gripping-member.

The gripping-lever has at its upper terminus a soolretform1ng member 9 to receive the lower end of handle 10, and below:

which is a jaw 11 through which and the plates 5 extends a pivot pin 12 for pivo'tally ing the jaw 13 when the lat ter'is on its return stroke and free from gripping engagement with the flexible member. Posltloned between the plates 2 and slightly above the pin 19 is a stop or abutment usually con-: sisting of a pin 14 for arresting themove-. mentof the handle 11 carrying the jaw 13 to arrest the latter from gripping the rope when desired.

time for a purpose to be later described.

The gripping or under face 18 of the jaw 10 is preferably smooth and convex so as not to wear the flexible member with which it engages, and the outer surface of the mem-- bers 5 and 7 are also preferably free from corrugations or indentations which might tend to wear or fray the fle'xiblamember used. The gripping face 13 of'the jaw 10 and the outer or gripping-faces of the pin 7 and roller 5 cooperate to gripthe flexiblemember, indicated by the rope 15 when the handle 10 is swung in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3, and to release the same when the handle 10 is moved in the opposite direction. When the handle 10 is moved in the direction reverse to the direction of the arrow the portion of the flexible-member over which the roller 5 travels is cus tomarily under tension and as the roller moves over it it rotates to avoid wearing and fraying the rope, but in its operative stroke, in the direction of the arrow, the force exerted by the handle 10 presses the rope firmly against the pin 7 and the roller 5 to establish gripping relation, thereby .arresting any rotation of the roller 5.

In order to move the handle and the side plates on their pivot 3 in the direction of the arrow and not cause engagementbetween the gripping members and the flexible member such for instance vas when lowering aheavy weight attached to the left end of the flexible member in Fig. 3, or for shifting the position of the device with respect to the flexible member and not causegripping engagement therewith, the pin 14: is inserted in the apertures prepared for it which locks the jaw 11 against movement with the gripping-face 13 remote from the gripping position and hence, the entire device may be moved in the direction of the arrow freely table gripping-face,

This abutment will usually be such as can be removed temporarlly any in one without affecting the flexible member in any manner.

I claim: g

1. A device for advancing a flexible member embodying a gripping member comprising a pivotally-fulcrumed plate, a roller rotatably mounted on one face -of sa d plate providing one gripping-face for said gripping member, a lever pivotally connected with said plate and provided with a aw having a gripping-face opposing said rotasald gripping-faces when said gripping-member and lever are moved in one direction gripping and moving said flexible-member in one direction and when moved in the opposite direction releasing said flexible member.

2. A device for advancing a flexible memberembodying a gripping-member comprising a pivotally fulcrumed plate, a roller rotatably mounted on-one face of said plate, fixed. pin on said plate adjacent to said roller, said'roller and pin in association pro-- viding a gripping-face for said grippingmember, a lever pivotally connected with said plate having a gripping-face opposing said rotatable gripping face, said aws'when said gri ping-member and lever are 'moved direction gripping and moving said flexible-member in one direction and when moved in the opposite direction releasing said flexible member and permitting said roller to run thereon whereby wear on said rope is prevented.

3. A device for advancing a flexible member-embodying a gripping-member comprising a pair of parallel spaced plates pivotally 'fulcrumed, a roller rotatably mounted between them and providing a grippingface for said grippingmember, a lever pivotally mounted between said plates and provided with a jaw having a gripping-face opposing said rotatable gripping-face, a removable stop on said gripping-member engaging said lever to limit the inoperative movement thereof for preventing said pivoted j aw from engaging said flexible member, said gripping faces when said grippingmember .and lever are moved in one direction and when said stop is removed gripping and moving said flexible-member in one direction and when moved in the opposite direction releasing said flexible-member and permitting said roller to run thereon whereby wear on said rope is prevented.

4. device for advancing a flexible member embodying a gripping-member comprising a .pivotally-fulcrumed plate, a member .mountedon one lateral face of said plate and provided with .a portion constituting a 'gripping fa'ce for said gripping-member, a

lever pivotally mounted on said plate and provided with a aw havinga gripping faco opposing said first gripping-face, a removable stop carried by said gripping-member and engaging said lever and operating when moved to its operative position to limit the movement of said lever to prevent the gripping-face on said lever from engaging said flexible member, said grippingaces 00- operating when said gripping-member and lever are moved in one direction and said. stop is in its inoperative position for gripping and moving said flexible member in one direction, said gripping-faces being inoperanesses.

JOSEPH S. SOUREK. Witnesses:

A. L.v MoCnm'roox, G. E. HUMPHREY.

Copies .of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of ratents,

- Washington, I). G. 

